


Tender Beyond Our Closed Doors

by MistyRay00



Series: Tenderness Series [5]
Category: Lost in Space (TV 2018)
Genre: But also, Don is a softie, F/M, Found Family, Idiots in Love, Sibling Bonding, sister bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-19 10:41:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22342948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistyRay00/pseuds/MistyRay00
Summary: Penny’s voice is quieter than her normal one as she says, “Smith heard something today, apparently, and she told Dad about it.”The book is clapped together and unceremoniously tossed to Judy’s side. “She what?”“Look, I’m trying to not take any cheap shots here, but seriously, how loud do you have to be for it to be audible from Smith’s prison?”
Relationships: Judy Robinson/Don West
Series: Tenderness Series [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582006
Comments: 16
Kudos: 115





	Tender Beyond Our Closed Doors

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place the same day Don and Judy are the only ones back at the Jupiter. (Except Smith, of course.) 
> 
> Also, this is unedited! Will likely fix errors later, because. I. Need. Sleep.

  
  


Don is off somewhere teaching Will a series of card tricks. Will has been bugging him for days to show him how he does that thing with his hands, how he can make things disappear and reappear and then it was in his pocket all along. “Ancient smuggler trick,” he’d called it. Penny can hear the laughter and the humor in Don’s voice, even though she can’t hear the exact words. 

Judy’s up past normal hours too, reading in the central room, a cup of tea to her side. They only had so much tea to drink, so Penny knows as she approaches that it’s a special night of some sort.

A single eyebrow raised in greeting is all Penny gets. Okay, so, maybe she deserved it a little. She had gone a little overboard with the teasing about the whole thing with her and Don. 

She lifts her hands in mock surrender. “I come in peace.”

Judy lowers her book to her lap. “Mom and Dad in bed?” 

Penny gives a quick “Yep” both to the verbal question and the underlying one of “Can we talk without filtering ourselves?”

Penny’s voice is quieter than her normal one as she says, “Smith heard something today, apparently, and she told Dad about it.”

The book is clapped together and unceremoniously tossed to Judy’s side. “She what?”

“Look, I’m trying to not take any cheap shots here, but  _ seriously _ , how loud  _ do _ you have to be for it to be audible from Smith’s prison?”

Judy’s glare could level a skyscraper. “Can you just…”

“I don’t know details on what she told him, but I threw Dad off your trail either way. Told him you commed me all day, or something. And Smith hardly has a track record of being truthful, so, pretty sure he believed me.”

Judy cocked her head. “Wait, you covered for me? Why... would you do that?”

Penny suddenly looked a lot smaller as her shoulders shrunk in on themselves. “I’ve apparently given the impression that I’m anything less than one-hundred percent and always on your team, and I’m not sure how that happened, but I’d like for you to eventually believe that is that case and always has been.”

She really wishes Judy looked less astonished. “But... lie to Dad…”

“Is not something I wanted to do, nor want to do again, which brings me to,  _ why _ . Haven’t. You. Told them.”

Judy winces, and Penny instantly wishes she picked a softer tone. She’s not used to having Judy’s sensitive side show. Sure, she was empathetic and human and encouraging when it was called for, but she rarely let herself show that she needed those things from others at times. It was easy to forget that she even needed anything, but Penny’s gut told her that she did need something here, but she couldn’t figure out precisely what. 

Judy opens and closes her mouth a few times, looking for an answer. 

She’s shocked when she hears herself mutter the truth that could’ve been easily dodged. “If it were entirely up to me, I would have already.”

_ Oh. _ Penny hadn’t seen that one coming. It takes her a second to gather the words for the question. “But Don’s so open about everything, and he has a decent sense of logic, so why…”

“He just… needs time.”

“To what? Enjoy boning your longer without glares from Mom and Dad?”

“Penny!” The book hits her shoulder, fast, but not enough to hurt. “It’s not like that, and you know it.”

“You’re right, I do know that. Because I’ve known since the beginning, and I see the way you look at each other. But if I hadn’t known, it really doesn’t look good from the outside looking in, Judy. And it’s just going to get worse if you wait longer.”

Judy sighs, slumping back, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples. 

“It shouldn’t be anyone’s business but yours…”

“Thank you!”

“BUT we’re all stuck on this ship together, and it’s not a normal setup. If we were on earth, you and Don could do whatever in apartments or dormitories and it wouldn’t be anyone’s to know or judge on. But we’re all together, on this tiny island, on this even tinier ship.  _ Please  _ don’t make it any weirder than it already is.”

Judy has always had eyes that are older than she was. At this moment, they were ancient. “I know.” 

Penny’s retort loses its spark and her voice adds some cushion. “Why does Don want to keep it quiet?”

She can visibly see the effort it takes for Judy to answer. She usually kept things so private, Penny’s surprised she’s gotten this far. 

“I think… he wants to prove himself.”

“He already has, though? He’s been essential to our literal survival the past months.”

“More than that. Like, as a person, not just as a mechanic.”

“He’s really fun to be around; I’m pretty sure we’ve all come to the conclusion he’s actually a good guy. And no one holds the whole smuggling thing against him, if that is what you mean. ”

“It’s not, it’s…”

Penny gives a look which signals, “go on.”

Judy inhales, then lets it out, closing her eyes. “I love him.” She opens her eyes, and if the words weren’t enough to silence anything Penny had to say, the weightiness of her voice would.

“And he loves me.” 

Judy’s quiet a moment, gathering the wit to continue. She’s shocked at herself, that she’s saying this much. But then again, maybe not. She’s had some practice recently in learning vulnerability. 

“I didn’t see him coming, and I wouldn’t’ve in a million lightyears thought we’d find what we have in each other, but now... “ she fidgets a thumb at her nose, letting out a breathless laugh. “Now I can’t imagine life without him.

And I know the setup is much less than ideal, and it looks so awful from the outside. That it can look like we’re just taking the only option we have on this ship, or that he’s somehow taking advantage of me because he’s older or whatever, and keeping it quiet hardly helps the case in either of those, but, Penny, I’ve looked both of those things straight in the eye, and it’s not at all what it’s like. He’s  _ good _ for me. I like the person I am around him. 

I’m going in with my eyes open, seeing his flaws and mine, and all the ways this might not work out or end badly, but he is  _ worth it _ . He is absolutely worth it. And I’m willing to take that chance. I think that’s ultimately what Don is waiting for. For everyone to be willing to take a chance on him too, to see past what it looks like and know it for what it is. And if he needs that time, then I’m going to give it that. Because despite the irony of how quickly we’ve fallen this deep, some aspects still need time.”

They both say nothing for a long minute, Judy winded from her monologue and Penny taking it all in. 

“Well, I’m not sure what I was expecting, but…” Penny rolls a tick in her neck, “It’s just surprising, I guess. That it’s as serious as it is. ” Then she takes Judy’s hand in hers. “But I’m happy for you. Both of you.”

She pulls Judy into a hug, and she goes so willingly that Penny regrets not doing it more often.

“Thank you,” Judy whispers into her shoulder. When she pulls back, she wipes her eyes. 

“But that’s enough about me. How’ve you been?” 

Penny snorts. “Well, you know, thriving social life. Lots of new developments. It’s hard to get to it all, really.” 

Judy smiles. “Just know I’m here too, if you want.”

“I know.” 

It’s a fond few seconds of silence, and Penny contemplates if she wants to risk her life by asking the next question. 

I mean, it couldn’t be any worse than everything they’ve been through, right?

Judy’s about to pick up her book again, and Penny takes the window. “So, is it all it’s chalked up to be?”

Judy tilts her head. “What, being in love?”

“Well, no.” 

“Then what?”

Penny’s cheeks turn a specific type of pink, but her expression stays firm. 

Realization washes across Judy’s face. “No… you don’t actually mean…”

A guilty look to the side answers her question. 

“Now!? You couldn’t have asked after Mason? Or Logan?”

“Well, I wasn’t sure you went that far with them until now! And you weren’t exactly the most approachable during all that. But really… Mason Phillips of all people?” Penny whisper-shouts. 

“Just... You’re not helping yourself right now, if you actually want an answer.”

“I’m shocked that’s even still an option at this point.” 

Judy purses her lips. Penny knows better than to push her luck any more. 

“It wasn’t really, before now.” 

Penny smiles one of the most infuriatingly smug smiles she’s ever managed, and Judy throws the pillow behind her at her. 

“You’re impossible.” 

“You’re only now coming to that conclusion?” comes Don’s voice from behind her shoulder, announcing his arrival. 

“Oh! Guess who has no room to talk, Mr. ‘I have a stash of chocolate protein bars I won’t share,” comes Penny’s exclamatory retort.

Will comes in right behind Don, and doesn’t miss a beat. “Penny, you keep real chocolate in your stuff. It’s hardly like you have room to talk.”

Penny dismisses the comment with a swipe of her hand. “This doesn’t concern you, civilian.” 

Will rolls his eyes, but says he’s heading off to bed soon anyway. Before he goes, he hugs Judy, and Penny gets a side hug truce. He hesitates for only a second when he turns around before bear hugging Don. 

Judy watches the shock on Don’s face and the second it takes him to respond, but once he does respond, he wraps his arms around him full force. Don ruffles Will’s hair a little, once he pulls back. “Night, kid. I’ll make a magician outta you yet.”

Will does a fake little bow, “Goodnight, Grand Master.”

Judy instantly chips up, calling after Will’s already retreating back. “You call him that, it’s gonna go straight to his head!”

Don smiles, cocky and way too aware that Judy likes how the shirt he’s wearing looks on him. “Too late, princess.”

“Annnd I’ll take that as my cue.” Penny gets up, starting to head to her room. She too takes Don off guard by hugging him hard. “Goodnight, Grand Master of Hidden Chocolates.” 

Don shakes his head, but hugs her back tight. “Night,  _ Loca _ .” 

Once Penny is gone, Don takes a seat next to Judy. “Good book?” 

She hums an affirmative, but it’s not the book she wants to talk about. “They care about you. A lot.”

Don’s throat bobs, and there’s a tick in his jaw that he always has when he’s trying to hold back an emotion. “Yeah.” His voice sounds like he just gargled hot water. “I care about them a lot too.” 

Judy touches his face, knowing there’s a lot below the surface here, but it’s not time to unpack it yet. 

He covers the hand on his face with his own, closing his eyes, leaning into the touch. 

  
After a moment, he asks “Bed?”

She nods at him. 

It’s not long and they’re settled down into the covers, bodies crammed into each other on the single bunk. His lips are against her neck, pressing soothing kisses there. 

“I really liked today.” Judy says. 

She can feel his lips quirk against her skin. She takes the hand at her stomach and holds it, and he laces their fingers the moment she does.

“Yeah?”

“Wish we could have more days like this.”

“Me too.“ He inhales, and stops his lips, settling his head on the pillow behind her. “Me too.”

  
  



End file.
